


Favorite thing

by Kath (KathWolfie)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bullying, Childhood Friends, Daichi To The Rescue, Elementary school!Kuroo, Gen, I'm shit at tagging send halp, Kid Fic, KuroDai Week 2017, Middle school!Daichi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 15:12:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10856583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KathWolfie/pseuds/Kath
Summary: "And what are you going to do? Beat us?" the tallest, probably also the eldest, asks, looking like he is about to start laughing at them both.Tetsurou is sure that Dai-nii, who is really smart, and grown-up, and goes to middle school, always knows what to do. He will probably beat them black and blue and-"Uncle Keishin! UNCLEEE KEISHINNNN!!!"





	Favorite thing

**Author's Note:**

> For KuroDai week 2017  
> Day 3: Childhood / ~~Adulthood~~
> 
> Forgive me the title, my creativity went for hawaiian vacation and didn't come back.
> 
> Also: for Anaka, bc just yesterday she told me she wanted to read some kurodais from me.

He lets out a quiet sob. The ball he got from his mom is slowly deflating, air doing this weird whooshing sound Tetsurou is absolutely sure he will hate even when he is all grown-up and bigger than the boys who just destroyed his favorite toy. He feels tears slowly brimming in his eyes, ready to spill in cascades when the boys start to laugh at him, shouting something about him being fat, and that he can’t play volleyball, and that he won’t be needing a ball either way. Everything looks blurry for Tetsurou. The choked sound he makes seems to rile his bullies even more, but then, out of nowhere, there is someone standing before him, saying that they are to ‘leave him alone’. Tetsurou wipes his eyes and nose with his sweater’s sleeve, taking a better look at his savior.

  
"Dai-nii?" Tetsurou manages, whispering through drying tears. The boy turns around, eyes zooming on Tetsurou's grazed knee and he looks like he is about to say something, but the bullies are still there, watching them with nasty smirks plastered to their faces. Tetsurou feels wet trails over his cheeks. He quickly wipes them once again, afraid that Dai-nii will laugh at him for being a crybaby, but he can't hold back couple of sniffles escaping.

  
"And what are you going to do? Beat us?" the tallest, probably also the eldest, asks, looking like he is about to start laughing at them both.

  
Tetsurou is sure that Dai-nii, who is really smart, and grown-up, and goes to middle school, always knows what to do. He will probably beat them black and blue and-

  
"Uncle Keishin! UNCLEEE KEISHINNNN!!!"

  
Before Tetsurou realizes what is happening, the bullies start to run away. He turns his tear-streaked face to Dai-nii. Before Tetsurou can ask him anything Ukai-san, who has a shop just across the street and always gives them corn umaibos when nobody's watching, saunters through the opened park's gate, eyes scanning for the one who called him. He notices them, and just like with Dai-nii, his eyes wander to Tetsurou's knee. Maybe it's an adult thing, spotting injuries so quickly? Some kind of superpower you gain with time? Tetsurou wonders if he is going to get this power too, when he finally goes to middle school, just like Dai-nii.

  
"What happened here? Why is Tet-chan crying?" Ukai-san crouches before them, putting his hand on Tetsurou's head, petting him lightly.

  
"Some mean boys were bullying him," Dai-nii answers, looking guilty, gaze running to the deflated ball. "I'm sorry, I couldn't come here sooner and save your ball, Tet-chan... And they hurt your knee too..." Dai-nii seems sad and angry at the same time, and Tetsurou doesn't know why, because it wasn't Dai-nii's ball or his knee that got hurt. Just then, Tetsurou remembers that he also was really sad when Dai-nii got his arm injured and couldn't play with him. Maybe you get sad and angry when someone you like gets hurt?

  
Ukai-san sighs tiredly when he notices the ball. He looks at Tetsurou, then at Dai-nii. He stands up and helps Tetsurou to his feet.

  
"Come, Tet-chan. We need to do something about your knee. You need to tell me who those boys were, ok? We will call your mom too. Do you want a piggy back ride?"

  
Tetsurou shakes his head as he grabs Dai-nii's hand. Without any words, Dai-nii crouches a bit to let Tetsurou climb onto his back. Dai-nii lets out an 'oomph', but he doesn't complain. They walk slowly, leaving the high-fenced, concrete playground behind them. Ukai-san helps them to cross the street and when they finally reach the store, he tells Dai-nii to put Tetsurou on the stool behind the counter.

  
"Take care of him, Daichi. I need to find the first aid kit and call his mom, ok?" Ukai-san says simply and pats Dai-nii's head just like he patted Tetsurou's.

When Ukai-san disappears at the back of the shop, Dai-nii pulls out a handkerchief, wets it under with a bit of the water from his drinking bottle and starts to clean dirty skin around the graze on Tetsurou's knee. They sit quietly only for a moment before Tetsurou finally asks the question he wanted to ask when they were still on the playground.

  
"Why didn't you beat them up, Dai-nii?"

  
Dai-nii takes a deep breath, then looks up at Tetsurou.

  
"Because I'm not strong enough to beat them all."

  
Tetsurou narrows his eyes at him, because he can't believe Dai-nii would say something so stupid after giving Tetsurou's a piggyback ride all the way from the playground to the Ukai's store.

  
"But you are strong! You shouldn't lie, that's not nice!" Tetsurou pouts. Dai-nii smiles at him sadly, then shakes his head.

  
"I could probably win with one, but there were four of them, Tet-chan. My dad always says that you need to know when you can do things on your own and when you should ask for help. So I did just that, I asked for help."

  
"But how did you know that Ukai-san is going to help you? Do adults have some sort of devices to know that we are in danger?" Tetsurou asks, genuinely curious. Dai-nii laughs quietly, putting the handkerchief away. He then pulls out an umaibo from his schoolbag and hands it to Tetsurou.

  
"I saw Ukai-san on my way from school, so I thought that if I shout for him loud enough he will come. And if he didn't... well, they still run away, right?" There is something sparkling in Dai-nii's eyes as he grins and Tetsurou lets out a surprised gasp.

  
"You knew they would run either way?! You are so smart, Dai-nii!"

  
Dai-nii rubs his hand over the back of his head, looking sheepish, but then grows serious.

  
"I'm sorry for your ball, Tet-chan."

  
Tetsurou realizes he forgot about his destroyed ball and feels the tears coming back. This was his favorite ball and now he can't play volleyball anymore. The umaibo lands on the floor as Tetsurou tries to cover his face, so that Dai-nii can't see him cry, but the other just moves around the stool and hugs him.

  
"It's ok to cry, Tet-chan. I would cry too."

  
Ukai-san finally emerges from the back room, looking a bit surprised when he notices Tetsurou is crying again. Dai-nii is still stroking the top of Tetsurou's head as Ukai-san goes about cleaning and bandaging the graze, asking questions about the boys who bullied them, about how they looked and if they were someone Dai-nii knew. Dai-nii answers all the questions, letting Tetsurou rest against his shoulder. Tetsurou is tired from all the crying - he just wants to go to sleep, but then his mom is standing in the shop's entrance, all worried and angry-sad. She scoops Tetsurou up, holding him really close to her chest and quietly speaking with Ukai-san. Tetsurou's eyes close, but before he is able to doze off, he hears his mom saying 'Dai-chan, sweetie, thank you so much, you are such a brave boy'. They leave the store and Tetsurou's mom puts him in her car, fasting the seatbelt and giving him his long, cat pillow to cuddle with. Tetsurou thinks he hears Dai-nii's voice calling out to them. He forces his eyes open and sees how Dai-nii gives his mom a bright, yellow and blue colored ball, still looking like he is about to apologize for something. But then Tetsurou's mom leans in, kissing Dai-nii's forehead and patting his hair. Dai-nii looks like a tomato, but he smiles at her, then looks at the car and gives Tetsurou a small wave. After a second Dai-nii turns around, quickly entering Ukai-san's shop once again, as if trying to hide. Tetsurou's mom opens the door one more time and hands him the ball.

  
"This is from Dai-chan. He told me that you shouldn't listen to the bullies and you should play lots of volleyball from now on. I think this ball is even better than the one I got you, don't you think? The colors are really pretty," Tetsurou's mom smiles and he smiles too, holding onto the ball as tightly as he can.

**Author's Note:**

> This is also how "heat of the moment" looks in my case.
> 
> [Find me on Tumblr](http://at-the-road-beginning.tumblr.com/)


End file.
